April 2025 Departmental Monthly Report Written: 05-01-2025 Community Development: Planning and Economic Development Monthly Activity Report Emi Thériault, Community Development Director
[email protected]
Current Planning - Permitting Stats
• Fiscal Year to date (through 03-01-2025) Number of applications received…………………………………………………55 • Applications processed……………………………………………………………..…………………………………………..………………...…40 Meeting attendance
• Sebastopol Council Goal Setting Workshop and Regular Council meetings • Planning Commission and Design Review Board/Tree Committee • Budget Committee
• Application meetings with applicants and with internal development review technical committee (DRT), • Interagency collaborative meetings e.g. Sonoma County - TAC/PAC Joint Transit Oriented Communities Policy Workshop, the Napa Sonoma Collaborative Monthly Meeting • Met with other departments to discuss Planning related matters requiring interdepartmental coordination e.g. met with Building to discuss Development status updates and deposit accounting.
Advance Planning - Initiatives
1. Sustainable Transportation Grant – Planning staff met with the interagency technical working group. a. Staff met and communicated with the project consultant, Fehr & Peers weekly. b. Provided support/attended events on April 26th and 30th.
2. Housing:
a. Met with Canopy project representatives to review background on project and current status i. Staff participated in the Napa/Sonoma Collaborative meeting.
3. Public Works Support
a. Ives Park and Calder Creek
i. Walk path of Calder creek from edge of Ives Park to area of undergrounding/former flood area near Postal Annex.
ii. Discussed potential grant applications with CUSP and helped process resolutions approving applications submittals to initiate work on a portion of the Calder Creek Master Plan project.
Economic Development
1. Met with Rite Aid floor manager to discuss status of continuity of business operations.
2. Barlow Hotel project – Staff held several meetings to ensure this item could be heard at the April 15th Council meeting and held follow up meetings after the 1st reading of the Ordinance adopting the Development Agreement.
3. Small business support. Emi met with a representative of the NorCal Small Business Development Center again and performed outreach to 26 businesses in person. Also reached out to the Chamber to suggest a meeting; need to coordinate further opportunities for joint efforts.
Department Staffing
Conducted follow up interviews for Associate Planner recruitment. The interim Associate Planner is available through May 19th only and no replacement has been identified yet. This is a high priority for the department at this time.